Muwatta Malik (Yahya)

It is narrated from ‘Urwah bin Zubair that Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) recited a verse of prostration on the pulpit on the day of Jumu‘ah, and then descended from the pulpit and performed prostration, so the people also performed prostration with him. Then, on the next Jumu‘ah, he recited it again and the people prepared themselves to prostrate. At that, Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Remain as you are; Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He, has not made the prostration of recitation obligatory upon us, except when we wish to perform it. So Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did not prostrate, and he forbade them from prostrating.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Our view is not that if the imam recites a verse of prostration on the pulpit, he should descend from the pulpit and perform the prostration.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: In our view, the ruling is that there are eleven confirmed prostrations in the Qur'an, and none of them are in the Mufassal (short surahs).

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked: If a person recites a verse of prostration and a menstruating woman hears it, should that woman also perform the prostration? Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, replied: No, for both a man or a woman, the prostration is only valid when both are in a state of ablution.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked: If a woman recites a verse of prostration and a man hears her, should that man also perform prostration along with the woman? He replied: No, rather prostration becomes obligatory on the listener only when he is a follower (muqtadi) of the one who is reciting the verse of prostration. And it is not the case that whoever hears the verse of prostration from someone and is not a follower of the reciter should perform prostration.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: No person should recite a verse of prostration after the Asr prayer or after Fajr, because the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade prayer after the morning prayer until the sun rises, and forbade prayer after Asr until the sun sets. And the prostration of recitation is like prayer, so no person should recite a verse of prostration during these two times.